Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 6:55 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 6:55 p.m.

When playing in the adult softball leagues at Jackson Park, all players know now they have one stop to make before they are allowed to take their first swing each night: Field 4 to see David Elmore, who is better known as Elmo, the bat tester.

Two weeks ago, the county invested in a bat compression tester, and Elmore, who has been the Night Supervisor at the park for the past 13 years, is glad it did.

“This is all about player safety. This tester makes sure every single bat is legal and is not tampered with,” he said.

Any bat that's below 1,550 psi on the gauge is not allowed past Elmore.

“Usually in the upper-level leagues, you'll see a lot of bats that have the lower compression. Players want to get that competitive edge. The lower the compression, the quicker you can swing the bat,” he said. “There are places you can take aluminum bats to, and they'll take off the end and shave the inside walls of the bat to lower the compression. With this tester, none of those bats are going to make it into our games here.”

With quicker bat speeds, infielders are at greater risk of injury, especially the pitcher.

“I remember one game where the shortstop got drilled by a hit, and he was hurt really bad,” said adult league player Justin Ward. “He was on the ground having a seizure. It was very scary.”

All of Ward's bats were approved Tuesday night. He said he's all for having everyone's bat tested.

“I think this is a great idea, and it makes all of our games a lot safer,” Ward said.

A bat that get's Elmore's approval is tagged with colored tape each night and dated. Although bats will pass inspection one night, those same bats will still have to be tested each night they are used.

“You could have a bat that's approved tonight, and next week, it could be rejected,” he said. “You never know...that same bat could get tampered with, or over time, bats simply lose their compression.”

In the two weeks of having the tester, Elmore said he's rejected about 75 bats so far.

“The penalty is pretty severe. If we send the bat off and it comes bad, the player is banned from all classifications of the league for a year. If they get caught a second time, it's a lifetime ban,” Elmore said. “We are very serious. Player safety is our main concern.”

<p>When playing in the adult softball leagues at Jackson Park, all players know now they have one stop to make before they are allowed to take their first swing each night: Field 4 to see David Elmore, who is better known as Elmo, the bat tester.</p><p>Two weeks ago, the county invested in a bat compression tester, and Elmore, who has been the Night Supervisor at the park for the past 13 years, is glad it did.</p><p>“This is all about player safety. This tester makes sure every single bat is legal and is not tampered with,” he said.</p><p>Any bat that's below 1,550 psi on the gauge is not allowed past Elmore.</p><p>“Usually in the upper-level leagues, you'll see a lot of bats that have the lower compression. Players want to get that competitive edge. The lower the compression, the quicker you can swing the bat,” he said. “There are places you can take aluminum bats to, and they'll take off the end and shave the inside walls of the bat to lower the compression. With this tester, none of those bats are going to make it into our games here.”</p><p>With quicker bat speeds, infielders are at greater risk of injury, especially the pitcher.</p><p>“I remember one game where the shortstop got drilled by a hit, and he was hurt really bad,” said adult league player Justin Ward. “He was on the ground having a seizure. It was very scary.”</p><p>All of Ward's bats were approved Tuesday night. He said he's all for having everyone's bat tested.</p><p>“I think this is a great idea, and it makes all of our games a lot safer,” Ward said.</p><p>A bat that get's Elmore's approval is tagged with colored tape each night and dated. Although bats will pass inspection one night, those same bats will still have to be tested each night they are used.</p><p>“You could have a bat that's approved tonight, and next week, it could be rejected,” he said. “You never know...that same bat could get tampered with, or over time, bats simply lose their compression.”</p><p>In the two weeks of having the tester, Elmore said he's rejected about 75 bats so far.</p><p>“The penalty is pretty severe. If we send the bat off and it comes bad, the player is banned from all classifications of the league for a year. If they get caught a second time, it's a lifetime ban,” Elmore said. “We are very serious. Player safety is our main concern.”</p>